1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device that holds a roll of painter's tape and allows for the rapid and more accurate dispensing of the tape from the roll and application onto the surface to be masked by the tape.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Many people simply hate to paint the walls at home or at their office. Painting is a laborious and time-consuming job that is best left for others to perform. However, if a typical painting job is analyzed, it becomes quickly apparent that the actual painting of the walls and trim is relatively simple and straightforward—after the prep work is complete. Masking the surfaces that are not to be painted, using an appropriate painter's tape, oftentimes tends to be far more time-consuming than the actual application of the paint. Each adjoining surface that is not to be painted, must be taped over in order to protect such surface from a wet brush or roller that will eventually make contact. The masking must be precise so as to prevent small streaks of paint on the protected surfaces. It is the application of the tape onto the surfaces to be protected that is the time-consuming and mundane, and unlike the actual application of the paint, no progress is perceived by a home owner, therefore, this step is considered drudgery.
To address this problem, devices have been proposed that help a would-be painter apply the painter's tape onto the surfaces that are to be protected from the paint. Such devices, which work across a broad spectrum of effectiveness, tend to exhibit one or more shortcomings making such prior art devices less than ideal. Some such devices are unusually complex in design and construction making these devices relatively expensive to manufacture and purchase. As a result, such devices are not economical for a large portion of would-be consumers. Still other devices are relatively complex to use so that only a skilled worker can use such devices effectively. As many home owners and small business owners are occasional painters, devices with steep learning curves are not received with great favor. Still other devices tend to cause tape bunching so that a relatively large amount of tape is wasted during device usage coupled with the fact that some masking must be back-tracked and the tape reapplied. Still other devices are relatively slow in tape application so that such devices offer little if any time advantage over manual tape application. Still other devices lack the design features or engineering to increase the accuracy of tape application.
Evidently, a device is needed that allows a would-be painter, either an ad hoc amateur or a seasoned professional to be able to quickly and efficiently apply tape to mask surfaces prior to the commencement of paint application onto walls, doors, trim, etc. Such a device must be of relatively simple design and construction so that it is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and is thereby readily affordable to a large segment of the paint paraphernalia buying public, irrespective of the size of the job or the frequency of the work. Such a device must be relatively simple to use and maintain so that the layman can use the device with almost as much ease as a professional painter and with minimal learning involved. Such a device must minimize the risk of the tape bunching up during device usage so as to prevent tape waste, time waste, and work redoes. Such a device must offer the user a time and accuracy advantage over manual tape application.